


Caretaker of Madagascar

by BML1997, Insert_Meaningful_Username



Category: Penguins of Madagascar
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Action/Adventure, Angst and Tragedy, Arguing, Blood and Injury, Canon Continuation, Caretaking, Cartoon Physics, Character Development, Constructive Criticism Welcome, Cussing, Depression, Developing Relationship, Drinking, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Graphic Description, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Hurt/Comfort, Interspecies Romance, Major Character(s), Major Original Character(s), Minor Character(s), Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Mystery, Physical Disability, Post-Canon, References to Canon, Science Fiction, Slice of Life, Slow Build, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, Were-Creatures, What Have I Done, Zoology
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2020-09-23 22:09:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20347555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BML1997/pseuds/BML1997, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insert_Meaningful_Username/pseuds/Insert_Meaningful_Username
Summary: Some believe misfortune can bring people together. Others believe that destiny has the power to interconnect lives, whether those lives wanted to or not.Call it a coincidence. Call it fate. Call it a despicable force of nature.Either way, nothing could've stopped the fact that Bridget Ailith, a cantankerous new zookeeper, found herself forced to team up with the Penguins to undo a machine's disastrous effects.Doesn't help that those penguins are now-





	1. The New "Zookeeper"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You'll know the beginning easily enough; it's when it all started going weird. ”  
\- Jasper Fforde, Early Riser

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: In "Author's Notes" Book on Wattpad under the name "@DrMMTiplier666"

It was the following of a foggy Monday morning, hours after a city power-outage.

The outage was small, and barely noticeable, to the point where it only felt like a millisecond that the city's bright and shiny night-lights were extinguished. A millisecond of a dull, lifeless city, with only the vibrating sounds of silence echoing through Manhattan. But no one noticed it, and not even the news was covering it, therefore it seemed like nobody even cared. Not a single soul.

But with this fact, it is sadly noted that despite how insignificant the event was, it is the reason why heavy traffic was dealt with, as the sound of buzzing cars screech and honks echoed in and out of New York City. Why many school students were given the day off, and are looking forward to spending this mid-morning day relaxing and goofing around. Why many police officers had to take the time to manage the gridlock control, hoping that they won't get injured by passing vehicles, as the technicians worked frantically to get the street-lights functional again.

But most of all, dear readers, the blackout was the reason why so many city-people were late to work, as the sidewalk crawled with pedestrians strolling to their jobs fast like.

The blackout was the reason why Bridget Ailith was late for her job interview.

This is sadly how her story begins.

The motion of swinging left to right through the thousands was tiring for the young lady, for the ability to roller-skate in a somewhat claustrophobic area was new and difficult.

It was fortunate that she wasn't afraid of tight spots, but it still didn't help the situation at hand. Or on foot, as this matter's variable depended on how fast she could get through the hordes of busy sheep if her semi-heavy backpack and memory could serve her any good. Why didn't she take the bus? Or a taxi, something more reliable in the context of her dilemma.

Well, did she want to end up like those fools who are now stuck in some stocked-up public conveyance that, in this mess, are getting nowhere now? Yeah, better safe than sorry.

And before she even knew it, she found herself in a clearing, this part of the street yet to be contaminated by people. Looking around the area, she spotted a small complex building, noticing pots of dead flowers were hung on the walls near its opening. Finally getting a breather in, she also couldn't help but smell a wonderful aroma coming from the stand she just so happened to stop in front of.

There was also an old man standing behind the metal cart, looking back at her with a confused but concerned look. It then hit her that this was a stand. And not just any stand, but a bakeshop. A bakeshop layout with many desirable treats, a sugared-coated blueberry muffin catching her eyes immediately. The old man, who still stared at her, then gave her a friendly smile.

"Why hello, Miss. Are you ok?"

She glanced back at him, still profoundly sweaty from aimlessly rolling quickly around the city. She sighs heavily, biting her lip before fully turning to the man.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I- D-Do ya know where the Central Park Zoo is by chance?" She said this regrettably, her diminutive brogue accent however firmly not showing it. She usually wasn't the type to ask strangers for help, but desperate times call for desperate actions, and she wasn't gonna stand by one minute longer without knowing how to get to this damn zoo, by all means.

The old man gave a hearty chuckle. "Guess you're not local here? That's fine, happens to everyone on their first day in the 'Big Apple'" He then turned his body towards the right of Bridget, down the street she would've continued to go down.

"If you continue to go down that street here, then make a left and straight, you'll soon find the park. However, the zoo is on the opposite side of where you enter the park, so I suggest going down E-63 Street. Once you get past that, make a right, and then you should be right at the zoo, Miss."

"Is that all?"

"Why yes Miss, it's that easy-" The man turns back to face the young woman once again, only to discover something unusual. The woman he had just spoken to moments ago, is gone.

Bridget side-glance back at the old fool, before turning her head in the direction of the way he advised.

She stopped again, only to flick away the messy hair from her face. She now too noticed that the second mass of civilizations coming her way. She looks at the crowd before glancing at her watch. ' _ 10:49 _ ' it reads. With a heavy sigh, she quickly looks up and starts skating towards and through the ant colony once more.

"This is gonna be one long fuckin day" she mutters under her breath.

** _0000000_ **

It was long. Very long. But eventually, the young woman found the entrance of the zoo gates, groups of people from all around coming in-out of the park's attraction more calming than what she's been seeing lately. Standing at its entrance for a quick breather, she pauses. Despite the boggy fog that still circumambulates the Big Apple, it’s almost illuminating for her to glaze at the ingress that stands before her.

Crimson, thick brick walls that surround the exterior, allowing the greenery of the park to fully complement the surrounding area. Iron rusty-like bars that, when thinking about it, probably creak and groan during the windy days of New York. And to top it all off, a giant golden bell was placed at its roof-tops, two monkeys with hammers to accompany it. Or chimpanzees. Something like that. 

Standing there and taking it all in, Bridget had only one thought of the entire thing.

_ "Stupid. Pretty fuckin stupid,” _She shakes her head.

_ “By all means, it looks pathetic. So much magic and whimsy comin out of its arse, it’s sickenin. Jesus, is this the place I'm gonna work at? Sure, it's no North Carolina Aquarium, but by all means, this place could've at least fuckin tried" _

She couldn't help but slightly snicker. But it didn't last long as she sighs with a frown. 

_ "This is stupid. Me workin at a zoo. God damn. It could've been at a bowlin alley. Or do service at a police station. Heck, a freakn pizzeria would do much more handy-dandy than this shit. But no. Of all the places I could’ve worked at, it has to be a- " _

***DONG***

Bridget instantly snaps away from her thoughts. Looking up, she now saw the golden-painted bell animated, swinging rust-like to the hammers that banged upon it, 'dings' and 'dongs' sermonizing to a chimes music. It then occurred to her that although she is standing at the front gates of the zoo, it’s now only a matter of getting INSIDE the zoo. Something she missed during her mental ranting. As the last sound of bells dies, another miserable fact came to her. It is now 11:00 am. She's now two hours late.

"OH SHI-"

In moments of realization, Bridget scrambles and flows smoothly into the entrance, the groups of people who walk in and out not minding the petite young woman. What greets her from out the entrance was the zoo itself and all of its glory. As the smell of popcorn suddenly swift in, even the fog started to disappear in her environment.

Kids smiling, couples laughing, and families all around, the sickening feeling from before had begun to grow again. But no time for complaining, she needs to get an interview. She needs to get inside the guest services, and fast. Gazing throughout the small crowd of people, she turns her head for buildings of sorts. Something. Anything.

What finally felt like pain-staking hours turns into sweet, sweet relief as Bridget spotted an area from a distance, diagonally northwest from her so to speak.

"This is it," she muttered

Targeting her direction, she darts straight for the structure, her black eyes glancing with determination. The roller skates allowed her to gracefully skim and dive in all directions. It didn't even seem to bother her, the people who were now behind her, those who gawked or dodged quickly before she had the chance to accidentally run them over. Nope. Didn't care, for she was almost there.

Almost there.

‘Almost’ is the key-word in that sentence.

Because before she even had a chance to skate over and grab that blasted handle door, and open it up to reveal all of its glory, she was then abruptly pulled on from behind, her backpack now under a force's grip. According to Newton's third law of motion, 'For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction', Bridget's bag being pulled back suddenly causes Bridget to stumble back herself, allowing the force from behind to fully grasp her freckled arms. Then the person from behind, a zookeeper judging by what she wore, with a very high pitched voice had the audacity to scream RIGHT NEAR HER EAR;

"OH ALICE! I FOUND BRIDGET!"

Pierce aching. That is how she would describe this torture. The feeling of being headlock by an 18-year-old girl who wore too much makeup. For any normal person, the sound of chalkboard being amplified by seven microphones would have their ears ringing to death. But unlike many people, Bridget was already exposed to this ear-range of dog-whistles. Because the most piercing aching thing about this entire exchange is, sadly, this strawberry haired teen who gripped her by the bag and arms, is her sister. And an irritating one at that.

Ciara smiled widely at her shorter sister, putting another arm Bridget's neck, squeal,

"Well, if it isn't my little sister! And aww, she's late for work! Looks like someone didn't put up a second alarm clock, did she!?"

Bridget struggles under Ciara's wrath. Of all the people she had to run into now, it had to be her. Of course, remembering that her sister works here of all places, she knew eventually that she has to come-to-terms with Ciara and her passive-aggressive bullshit. Because even though this shitstorm of a zoo could make her sick, it was her sister that made her vomit. Easily.

But just not today. Not when she needs to focus.

"F-Fuck off, Ciara", she stutters with a shaky breath, controlling herself to not speak louder than a shout.

"Hey now, that's not how you talk to your older sister, now is it!?"

"I'm the older sister"

"Not according to your height, you’re not silly!"

"Go to hell"

"Hey!"

Flinching, both girls turn towards the voice. What stood in front of them was another woman with strawberry hair, staring at the young adults with her hands crossed, and displeased expression. The woman is much older than Bridget and Ciara however, and much like Ciara's attire, wearing a zookeeper uniform. Ciara just grins. Bridget on-the-other-hand only groans in defeat. She looks up and weakly glowers.

"Hey Alice"

** _0000000_ **

"You know, if it wasn't for the small power-outage we had last night, I wouldn't have to reconsider to give you a second chance"

Alice states, walking through the conference room with files held tightly in her grasp. Bridget follows, softly skating from behind. She simply rolls her eyes.

"It's not my fault that the city's electrical generator short-fused. Someone must've wired it improperly or hit a transformer while speedin. Stupid shit like that"

"Don't even get into it" Alice cut off, annoyed. "This stuff has been happening for a while now. The city has been an entire mess recently. Every-other-week the power switches off, and on, and no-one's been able to figure out why. It's practically the norm now"

"And no-one has done anythin about this because?-"

"That's not the point. The point is that you came unprepared, and now you're late. End of story."

The young woman darts her eyes at the ground. Although she understood that she should be feeling more grateful for the situation she stood in, that didn't directly mean she felt sorry either. Now, is she exhausted? Yes. Irritated? Yes. Embarrassed, oh hell yeah. But apologetic for something she had no control over? No. Not at all.

Glancing back up, she let out a muffled sigh. She bites her lip.

"Well, the quicker we get this over with, the quicker I'll be outta your hair," Bridget remarks.

"Yeah yeah, whatever"

Alice pauses in front of a door and opens it, making Bridget quickly react and stop mid-track with the heel of her skates. The door opens, the two walk into the room which was to Bridget's discovery, is a wide office. Bridget took a few moments to observe her surroundings before walking in more behind Alice, who within taking a few steps forward, starts placing down the files on her desk as the middle-aged woman then takes a seat. Bridget did the same, as she places her bag down by the other chair.

She then bends over and starts to take off her skates, untying her left foot first, and then places it in the small backpack. Digging out from it, came a grayish-black sneaker. It was after she put on her shoe that Alice drew her attention again. 

"You know if anything, you should be thanking your mother. If it wasn't for her, I don't think I would even try to hire you" She comments, looking up from the documents she holds in her hands. Bridget could've sworn she also heard 'and your sister', but she already knew not to go there. That situation is a rabbit hole in itself.

"Ha-yes, the lady that got me into this hell of a mess. It's a pleasure to be reminded of how I got here again."

"Don't even start, I already know how you feel about her." the older woman replies, taking a pen from the drawer. She stacks the files together and grabs out a printed out resume.

"Alright, let's get this started. The first part of this process is usually where I greet you, give you my name and position here at the zoo, and then you do vice-versa. But since we...kinda already know each other, I think we should just get to the resume scanning part of this interview."

"Fine by me." Bridget shrugs.

"So, this is where I recheck everything of what you said on the resume you sent me on the email. I have the printed version of it here that I'm gonna read off of. Just state everything true, got it?" Alice states.

Nodding, Bridget shifts in her seat, straightening her posture. She’s annoyed that she's basically getting re-asked the same questions she had already answered once before. As if those few minutes of her time didn't matter when she filled out that zookeeper's form weeks ago. She sighs.

"_ Oh well. What the fuck can ya do?... _"

The zookeeper clears her throat. "Had any past jobs before this?" 

"Yeah, worked durin the summer programs at Meadowdale Middle School. Was a staff member"

"How long?"

"Up to two or three years"

"Is that all?" 

"Yes"

Alice then took her and began to scribble on the paper next to her. A few moments of silence, before the pen she drew lays between her fingers once more. Then, she continues. 

"Any criminal recorded?"

"No" 

More scribbling.

"Do you have a driver's license?"

"No" 

And more scribbling.

The procedure was done with no thought, only memory. If it wasn't repetitive and boring as it already is, then in all terms, it's downright infuriating. The young lady had to dig her nails into the palm of her hand just to control herself from wanting to slam her head directly into the desk and groan loudly. Stupid? Yes, but not an impulsive action worth losing a possible job position. Or at least, not yet it was.

"Have you ever used illegal drugs while underage?"

"No" she replies.

"Were you in any criminal gangs while underage?"

"No" she replies.

"Have you ever drunk while underage?"

"No" she lies.

There was a pause. A brief, but silent pause.

"Any medical conditions?"

Bridget shifts in her seat.

"I've got an allergic reaction to fish, but only rashes. That's mostly it."

It's then at that moment that Alice looks away from her papers and directly stares at Bridget, giving her a frown. Bridget stares back, with both a confused, but slowly nasty look as well. The two sat in uncomfortable silence until Alice cleared her throat.

"Bridget, I have to get everything in print. Even the...things you don't want to talk about." She stated, giving a reassuring timbre in her voice. "You do realize that if something does go wrong, we can't be legally responsible for your-"

"I'm. FINE."

The young lady claimed, the grip of her voice sounding determined and irate. She continues. 

"If somethin DOES go wrong, I already have everythin covered, and I wouldn't have the blame be taken on you or the zoo. I know how to do it, AND I know how to handle and recover from the circumstances that may follow."

Alice continues to stare at her with an unsure glace. The young lady who sat in front of her glares at her, giving off tense vibes. Tense vibes of someone who didn't aspire to make a big deal out of a small 'nothing', but if not careful, could inevitably become a big something. Alice gradually then sighed. She didn't have time for this.

She doesn’t care anyways.

"Alright, fine kid. Whatever. But you better make sure you don't get hurt or anything just because you're too stubborn to admit about your physical conditions." The head zookeeper said annoyingly, putting aside the already-read documents away.

As Bridget slowly unhinges herself, sighing as well. She couldn't help it if she became a little angry about certain sensitive subjects. She just didn't like talking about…

'It'.

The ginger woman then bites the bottom of her lip. She's almost done. Almost.

With Alice only at the last page of paper left, a wave of relief came over her. 

"Have you been to any colleges?"

"Yeah. I've used to be at Medical University of South Carolina for three and an half years"

"What programs were you in?"

"Anatomy, cell biology, and periodontics."

"And you only been there for three and a half years? The requirement is four, what happened?"

Pause.

"I ran outta money. That's why I need this job..."

With that final response, Alice tiredly looked at the clock, before stacking the printed resume she had just gone over. She then got up from her seat and starts walking to the cabinet beside her. Bridget, confused, stares at the woman.

"Wait, is the interview over?"

"For now" The older woman answers monotonously. She then proceeds to go into the other cabinet. She digs and searches for something inside. Once it looks like she has obtained it, Alice tosses the items to Bridget, who then jumps a little. Ticked off, Bridget glares at Alice, before grabbing what she had been given.

What has been thrown at her was a zookeeper uniform. She pauses and stares at it, before looking back up at Alice.

"D-did I get the job?" Bridget asks, surprised. Almost a bit too surprised.

"Not quite" Alice bluntly explains, poorly. Even more confused, Bridget continues to question her.

"But wait, why-"

"Put it on in the locker room and meet me outside. By the penguin's exhibit. I'll explain everything from there"

And without another warning, Alice, with her newly acquired checklist, left the office. Leaving behind a young lady who now stands there awkwardly puzzled.

** _0000000_ **

"I’ll never understand zookeeper fashion" Bridget grumbles, disgusted by the attire she had just put on.

Although she didn't exactly know where the locker rooms were at first, it only took a few moments of wandering office to office before she just happened to stumble in the empty quarters. The place itself isn’t bad, it smells rather pleasant and surprisingly there isn’t any gross mold to be found inside at all. To give it credit, it wasn’t as bad as her high-school locker rooms, the odor of sweat, decaying food, and hidden dirty underwear still haunts her to this day. As of now, she stood newly dressed with the outfit she was given examining it with judgmental eyes.

An ugly, brightly colored collar shirt, with an unnamed name-tag stuck to it. Dead green pocketed pants, although she noticed there were unidentified stains at the bottom of the leggings. And then there was 'that'.

That hat. The hat. The most despicable thing she had yet to see so far. It was hideous. No. It IS hideous. It's probably the reason why children have nightmares, or why creatures are going extinct. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if that fucking green blob of hair loss was the reason there's world hunger or global warming. Or fucking aliens for christ sake, just-

She stared at it for the longest time, the green bleached hat being the only thing she hasn't put on yet. Giving it one last glance down, she puts the monstrosity aside on the benches.

She next runs her hand through her hair, coming to the quick dismay of how tangled and jumbled her hair is. In fact, with her light gray tank-top being all wrinkled, baggy dark gray sweat-pants, and being a woman who doesn't wear makeup (or just doesn't like it), it would've been astounding for anyone (even the most mindless idiots) to not think that she was some decaying hobo zombie skating fiercely around New York City. Of course, but what did she expect? With only having time to get dressed and brush her teeth, it couldn't have been more obvious of how much of a mess she is.

"Guess old habits never die.." she mutters quietly to herself, positioning herself as she scanned the area.

She grunts with a sour sigh, but not after finding that a few steps from here are a giant, squared mirror attached to the wall. She blinks in amusement, and looks closer to it, walking towards it.

Looking at the reflection, she saw a woman of petite height, more accurately 5.0ft. Dimmed orange curly locks, A bit short, a boyish hairstyle is what she has, a bit of the longer part flopped down on the left side of her face.

Her skin is fair, with thousands of freckles bombarding her face, shoulders, right leg, and a bit on the left side of her chest. But some of those details are covered by the tacky zookeeper attire worn, so the only viewable freckles were the ones around her cheeks. She has an...okay body. If a woman with a pear-frame is your type that is. A refined nose, small oval ears, sore-chapped lips.

And finally, round eyes with black irises that observe right back at her, a drained expression simply held across those eyes. Looking into the mirror, she saw…

Well, herself.

Bridget frowns back at herself, her eyes darting away from the glass wall. She did this action in such an odd way, peculiar even. It was as though she tried searching for something but instead found nothing. Or she did find something but wasn't happy with the result. Either way, she turns around to face the exit door of the locker rooms. She grabs her yellow tiny backpack and puts it on, adjusting to the new lightweight that had been placed one her around her shoulders and back. Next, she (regretfully) grabs the disgusting thing called 'hat' and places it between her arms.

"Ugh, probably should go meet up with Alice now" She muttered, sighed tiredly soon after.

Upon then correcting her posture, she focused on her walking, taking some steps forward before taking a few steps back. Her walking as of now, without her skates to guide her through the zoo, seems unbalanced. She did this a couple of times before her walking style looked normal and no longer limping-like. Looking down at her progress, she frowned, darting her eyes at the locker room exit.

And like that, she left the building.

** _0000000_ **

Bridget never understood the fascination of animals in zoos. The fun of watching an animal in a small enclosure (especially for ones that naturally needed bigger spaces) and then just staring at them, waiting endlessly for the tiniest movement of entertainment to enjoy. And as soon as you have grown bored of looking at it, you walk away to another one, repeating the process of this repetitive cycle. It never ends, and it never changes. Even as a toddler or child, she always questioned the amazement of what made animals being animals so 'cool' or 'adorable'. It didn't make sense to her.

So when she stumbled to the penguin's exhibit area around ' _ 1:10' _ , she couldn't help but let out an irritating groan. It seems that there were strangely a lot of people, a big crowd more precisely. Groups of folks staring, laughing, and smiling at the arctic birds that have (unfortunately) inhabit it. Saying things like "Aww, how cute!" or "Look look, they're waving!" over and over.

It can drive one crazy.

It would seem that she picked a bad time to come out, but that didn't stop Bridget from walking through the crowd to find Alice. She's gotten this far, so why stop now?

But trying to get through these people were almost as if you were trying to get that sticky chewing gum out of your hair. Or trying to avoid one of your classes because you forgot to do your homework. Or possibly, try to prove that bigfootians do indeed exist and then explain to your loved ones why you aren't crazy at all.

It's not impossible. Just very, very, difficult.

Some twists and turns were performed, it's troublesome to remain so flexible in a large crowd of people that either behaved like the ocean current or unmovable mountains. And herself, similar to the wind, attempting to get past these obstacles. Loud, obnoxious obstacles, that did nothing but talk and talk among one another, and the occasional screams of-

"AWWW!"

And

"OOOO~"

Were made. Ugh. These moments of struggling lived briefly thankfully, because Alice wasn't too deep within the crowd. As Bridget starts to look over the masses from the point where she stood, Alice was standing behind her. Who is slouching on the habitat's fence, staring at the penguins expressionless.

"Does it always take you this long to get ready for something?"

The young ginger flinches, shifting around to the older ginger. She eyed her for a bit, then immediately scoffs at the zookeeper's remark.

"No, just feelin sluggish today. That's all"

"Don't get so defensive about it. I know it's been a hard day for you. And with all of the power-outages, It doesn't get any easier" She replies, with a more calm tone in her voice.

Bridget only rolls her eyes, as she tiredly now joins Alice in slouching down on the cage bars. She sighs as she now stares at the waving penguins, looking at them with no emotion and amusement. This look on her face, however, slowly becomes one of interest and questioning, as she silently studies them with every detail.

_ "Why are they wavin? Is this a routine they were taught? That would be plausible reasonin, but that wouldn't make sense in the long run. Usually, trainin animals would require treats, or them expectin to get a treat while they do the trick. But I’m gettin the feelin that the workers here don’t really give treats to the animals, doesn’t match the shittyness of the zoo. So why-” _

She becomes lost in her deep thoughts, before being interrupted by the real world.

"Does the attire fit you? Not too loose or tight or anything?" Alice asks, her attention now fully on Bridget.

The younger woman's eyes fluttered, shaking her head while she finds the right words to the response. She once again eyed the older woman, before answering the given question.

"Uh, oh yeah, it's fine. Ugly yellow shirt, big arse belt around my waist, long baggy pants, and a horrific monster called a "hat". Yeah, everythin is good" She didn't say this sarcastic, however. Nor did she say it with any enthusiasm. She just said it.

The head zookeeper shakes her head, as it's now her turn to roll her eyes. "Well, you better get used to wearing them. Cause if you need this job, I would stop complaining about it"

Bridget grumpily frowns, as she once more watches the penguins. There was a long pause between the two before the petite young lady gave off a huff. She glances her eyes away and shyly spoke, biting her lip.

"Thanks for giving me pants though. I know ya zookeepers are supposed to wear shorts for policy reasons, so I'm grateful ya gave me somethin less…..revealing…..to work with". Later, however, she gave out a muffled yawn.

The elder woman only nods, as she now gave off a huff as well.

"No problem, I knew you would've wanted to wear pants rather than shorts”

She then continues. "Besides, since you’ll be working with the penguins, you’ll need something that doesn’t let you get wet"

Bridget shakes her head, her attention flicking back at the live attraction. She tiredly lays her head on her fist, her eyes gradually shutting. "Huh, yeah. That nice,-" She gives off another yawn.

"Say, aren'tcha gonna explain to me everythin or-"

Wait a minute.

It hits her like a colossus, flaming meteorite, that was solely made out of pure gold, penetrating her brain out altogether, during an electrical storm. The sheer recognition made Bridget wide awake, her body practically jumped right out of its skin. She blinks, before quickly converting her head's direction at the head zookeeper.

_ "Don't tell me she's serious," she thought. _

_ "Please don't tell me she's serious, and she just has a very bad sense of humor" _

"...What?" Was all that came out of her, for something about Alice's reply made her speechless.

"You heard me. You’ll be working with the penguins. It’s simple and straightforward"

A face of gawking awe and disbelief dawns on her face, while Bridget began to now fully stare at Alice confusingly. She then shakes her head, trying to calm herself from the new news.

"Ok ok, wait, explain? Did I get the job or not? Are we still interviewin? W-Why the penguins? How come I can't-" She’s interrupted by Alice's waving hand, who was now just getting a headache from Bridget's quantic mumbling.

"Ok, so here's the predicament. The interview can't be finished and I can't hire you. This is because the park commissioner, Aka, my boss, is on vacation with his wife. I can't employ anyone without his hereabouts, especially with someone with no history of working with animals."

The young woman frowns. So this was all for nothing? She wasn't getting a job after all? What a waste of time this is.

Alice continues; "However, if you can behave and maintain out here until the next few days, then possibly he can let you work here full-time when he gets back."

"So you want me to do labor here without the guarantee of receivin a paycheck ?" Bridget questioned, her eyebrow raised highly at the zookeeper's told logic.

"It's a chance you're gonna have to take" Is quickly replied.

"And how do ya know for sure that'll work?"

"Believe me, the guy is a sucker for someone who works vigorously here. If you put effort into the help you'll do here, then he will hire you for sure."

The young ginger still holds an interrogation expression, not seeming to be fond of the proposed plan. Why was Alice still willing to give her this job? Was it because of her mom, or because she doesn’t want to take care of these birds herself? Probably both, she wouldn't be surprised if it were the cases. But there was one more problem that needed to be addressed.

"Ok, but why the penguins? And just them alone or…?”

The elder woman grumbles before she looks back at the exhibit that stood in front of both of them. She then began to wear a more serious face, her eyes narrowing at the animals who inhabit it.

"These birds are real troublemakers. Ever since I've gotten this job, they're been a pain in my butt to keep track of. Wandering out of their habitat, making a mess, stealing guest's food or items. It boggles my mind how the commissioner can like these guys so much. But maybe that's because he's a buffoon most of the time.

But with me doing everything else around the zoo, having to deal with these guys is the most exhausting. So up till around a few months ago, I’ve decided to make a position where only one person has to watch over these penguins while I can focus on everything else. And now that there are more employees, the only thing that annoys me about this job now is the tourists and their stupid questions."

The young Irish woman only gives Alice a questionable look from her response.

"Ooookkkayyy, but why me? I mean, Alice, I don't think I'm the right type of person for this job. One, I'm allergic to fish-"

"Wear gloves."

"I can't run that fast,-"

"I'll allow you to wear your skates around the zoo."

"I don't know that much about penguins too,-"

"You can do some research. Or ask our vet more about them."

Bridget shoots the older woman a stare. Her responses back aren't helpful. At all.

"Fine, what about the water? I can't go near them without possibly gettin wet, and I don't know about you, but I ain’t interested in getting filthy bird water on me." She said this with a fierce irritation in her voice.

Alice didn't seem that fazed from it.

"That's why you have pants. And if you're that worried about getting wet, then put a bag on it. That's what you're supposed to do in showers, right?" Bridget doesn’t answer that.

"Thought so. If you worried about not having things 'under-control', then maybe I shouldn't give you this-"

"No. I…" Bridget paused for a moment, darting her eyes away from the woman for a moment. She looks back at her firmly, biting her lip a bit. 

"I can do this. But why me? Why not someone else?"

Alice looked at her and only blinked flatly. "Why not you? You seem desperate and stubborn enough to handle them. Definitely seem more active than other zookeepers here,”

The ginger stares back with a squinted expression.  
While she accepts being an active and stubborn person, it was that last word she couldn’t get behind. Lady just called her desperate…  
Which is true, but still isn’t a pleasant synonym to be called by.   
  
“Gee, thanks" Is all she could say with a deadpan tone. But then;

"Wait, ya tellin me that there's really no one else that ya think can handle these guys?"

Now Alice's face deadpans. "Yep".

Bridget shakes her head, almost giving her a look of great disbelief.

"These guys? Four small arse aves?" Late to the party, her brain process was, for now, Bridget began to question Alice about the penguins. There is no way that can be true. 

Like, come on, they WADDLE. It's not like an ostrich, that runs super fast and glides. And it's not like a normal bird, that can FLY. No. It's a penguin. That shouldn't be so hard, man.

Either this lady is over-dramatic and exaggerates things, or there's something not right about this zoo.

She wouldn't be surprised if it was both.

"Is that a problem for you?" Responded to the head zookeeper, her tired and calm voice rattled against the younger woman's mood.

Bridget only thought for a moment, before looking back at Alice.

"Didn't say it was."

It was now that Bridget noticed how quiet it was and looked around. Compared to before, the crowd that once took place here has disbanded, a few staying while most walked away to look at something else that roams the park's zoo, allowing the repetitive cycle to begin once more. And those who have stayed now followed their lead, leaving Alice, her, and any passing visitor surrounding the habitat.

Alice stood fully up from the bars, reminding the young Irish woman how truly small she was compared to most women. It didn't affect her, however, for she's used to it. It was just a mental nudge.

With the grouchy zookeeper stretching her back, she turns to face Bridget fully.

"Look, I don't care. If you want the gig, then you're gonna have to take a leap of faith, do some work, and be patient. If not, then I don't know what to say. But maybe you should give this a try? You never know, this might be something exciting for you."

Bridget simply scoffs. "Oh yeah, 'exciting'. Thanks, grandma for lettin me know that this might be me true calling and that the imaginary chaos of these birds is gonna make things 'fun' here for me."

The older woman shakes her head, not in the mood for this woman’s attitude.

"Is that a yes or no?"

Bridget looks at her seriously and thinks for a moment. She's gonna work at some dumbshit zoo with no guarantee for cash, taking a position that seems to be fucking crazy. Working every day with idiots that might drive her crazy (including her god damn sister), just in the hopes that the park's owner is gonna make her an official zookeeper?

That's fucking stupid.

_ "Hey, come on now, be more positive here. It could be the worst. It could be a LOT worse. And technically, YA HAVE been through a lot worse. Just think brightly on this. Just remember why you're doing this. Do it for the money. You need money. You want money. Here's a golden chance of hope in gettin that money. Just do it, man, just do it. _

_ What more can ya lose?... " _

She took a deep breath of popcorn-filled air before a sigh was produced from her nose. Her eyes dart away before she corrects them back at Alice. She bites her lip.

Just do it.

"Yeah, sure, fine, I'll take it. But it better be worth my time," she states this firmly at the zookeeper, crossing her arms with a scowling frown.

"Great, glad to know you actually wanna try." It was Alice's turn for the sarcasm, but unlike Bridget, she doesn't make that her only response back. She continued;

"Meet me by my office tomorrow at 8:00 am, I'll give you a tour of the place and let you meet your potential co-workers. Take some normal clothes and bring your work attire too. We'll go off from there.." Alice begins to walk away from Bridget, letting her know that she's free to now go from her ‘interview’. With the older woman now gone, it was only Bridget by the penguin's exhibit. Alone.

Bridget didn't mind, or for the lack of, cared. She was too busy thinking about what she had just agreed to do. She by her body language of sweat, furrowing eyebrows, biting lips, and clenching a fist, she seemed a bit tense. Nervous even? No, that's going too far. Stressed? Yeah. She’s just stressed out.

Her deep and brooding thoughts were rudely interrupted however by an unknown force, a presence that made her body feel uneasy. As her eyes dart around her surroundings, it just so happens her attention glances inside the habitat. And within it, startles her. It’s those small, infamous penguins, but it feels off. Because moments ago, they were all waving and 'smiling', being 'cute' and what-not to passing walkers of the zoo. And now?

Those same penguins we're staring directly at her.

She just couldn't help but stare back surprised, very much weirded out by the fact that they were just looking at her like that. Each one held a different expression at her, all ranging from curiosity to suspicion. It’s... unsetting to say the least. 

"Well, ain’t that just fuckin creepy…." Muttering under her breath, she turns away slowly from them and begins to walk towards the green painted bench. She forces herself not to even look back. Whatever the hell that was, either it being intimidation or shit, she wasn't gonna look back. She's not in the mood to deal with them today since she'll be working with them tomorrow. Oh man, she has to work with them tomorrow…

She shakes her head

_ "No, they're nothin but a dumb bunch of birds. That's all they ever are, and all they'll ever be. Nothin more, nothin less. There's no logical way that these birds are that exasperatin to deal with. Everythin is gonna be ok. Everythin is fine. Nothin can go bad that fast, right?... " _

Sitting down on the steel public bench, she placed her bag and abomination on the side, allowing herself to rest as her legs and arms stretching out. It's been a long day. A long tiring day, but this won't be the only one. There will be more to come, and once she gets the job for real, well, it's not gonna get any easier.

She sighed once more, her limbs extracting back to her body as she got comfy sitting down. 

She's still gotta unpack her stuff back at her new apartment, and do groceries. But she's so tired, ugh. Too much to think about. Too much to do. And only so little time left. Oh, what did she just get herself into t-

Her stomach rumbles.

She glances down at her belly and feels the tinge pain within it. She knew what that meant, patting her stomach with her left hand. "Yeah yeah, I know. Let's finally eat, shall we?"

She unzips her backpack, and without much to dig it out, takes out a sugared-coated blueberry muffin. It’s cold now, but she didn't care. All she did was take it out of the small bag, undo the wrapping, throw said-wrapping in the trash can next to her, and began to enjoy her petite delicious lunch.


	2. Inchoate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary."
> 
> -Gandhi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: In "Author's Notes" Book on Wattpad under the name "@DrMMTiplier666"

“_All penguins are restricted to the Southern Hemisphere, but the greatest concentrations are on Antarctic coasts and sub-Antarctic islands. There are 20 species of penguins, four of which live in Antarctica. Adélie and emperor penguins breed on the shores of the Antarctic continent and-_"

The page turns over.

“_-nearby islands while chinstraps breed on islands around Antarctica and gentoos are found on islands ranging from the Antarctic to the sub-Antarctic. Another four species; king, royal, southern rockhopper, and macaroni, live on-_”

Bridget’s eyes imperceptibly flow off from the book she has been studying, giving her mind a moment of rest to process the newly obtained information. Fingers go underneath the glasses that boldly occupies her freckled face, rubbing her eyes from the stinging caused by the long hours staring at small-printed words. Blinking, she adjusts the spectacles, bites her lips, and goes back to reading the soon to be over chapter.

It has been three days since Bridget has started working at Central Park Zoo.

Just three days of vigorously operating at the zoo. Cleaning the penguin’s habitat, feeding them, watching them, even doing extra chores, like sweeping the office floors, or taking out the trash. Just something to keep herself busy.

There were moments when the ginger wished she could be doing something else...anything else, than what she’s doing. It was quite boring when she had nothing but ‘bird watching’ to do for a job... But with just a grumble under her breath, an internal sarcastic remark to herself, and biting her lip, Bridget simply sucks it up and continues on.

At least she doesn’t have to do much...it could be worse.

But of course, it's the human that doesn't like water, fish, or birds, that ends up caretaking the penguins.

How fucking hilarious is that?

“_Scientists know much more about the behavior of Adélies in the warmer months because they breed on land between October and February. Less is known about their behavior in the winter where they spend time at sea in the pack ice. Scientists are tracking their routes so they can find out exactly where-”_

The memorable parts of her long boring days so far have been small interactions.

There was another power-outage yesterday, which keeps adding up to Bridget’s growing frustration.

Why or how the situation hasn’t been solved or fixed yet is beyond her understanding, further less of why no one is really talking about it. At least yesterday she didn’t end up late again, but it was a close call.

The ginger swears, if no one is going to do anything of it, then she might as well do it herself.

Take a look at the city’s generators, see what’s so fucked up about it.

Her expeditious introduction to the other zookeepers was another event that stuck with her. Alice sluggishly pointed back and forth at people, talking on and whatnot. Bridget stared at them...and they all stared back at her. An awkward moment of silence.

Guilty as charged, however, Bridget will admit she was never one to be convivial, she would rather observe and analyze before taking action.

So perhaps it was on her for not following any social cues...however.

The way they were acting...the looks they gave her...they didn't strike welcoming. Their gazes on her seemed...untrusting. Afraid...even spiteful.

She didn't like these looks...it made the atmosphere between them uneasy.

It made it all the more uncomfortable when introductions were done and she walked away...and they all started whispering behind her back.

Bridget soon found out the day after that a certain strawberry hair teen has been spreading rumors about her.

Gossipy details about the ginger that wouldn't describe her an up-standing person...

Past actions Bridget herself would rather not talk about.

Of course, she could say something but, what's the point? These people have known the bitch longer and probably like her more.

She has pawned them all into believing her and...well it's not like her rumors are lies.

Those stares of disgust...if they truly know what she has done, then perhaps she deserves their harsh judgment after all. To be outcasted as a black sheep.

As usual.

But it's not like she's going to stay in New York forever...so let them, judge. When she gets the money she needs she can leave and get out of this city.

Never have to deal with any of this again.

But it's not just the people she cannot wait to not deal with either.

Penguins sure are a weird bunch.

Not to the level, Alice has claimed, to which in present-day, Bridget just simply believes she's full of shit.

But she will admit there's...something off about them.

She doesn't know what but...she just knows there is.

The way their eyes would flash when observing or their body gestures...they're certainly a lot more animated than what she expected from the usual.

Studying them, she noted certain quirks of theirs, like how easily cold they would get from a breeze, or their general delight when it's time to feed them.

Of course, doing this and she herself ends up being stared back too, their little blues eyes all on her with different ranges of emotion.

Peanut Butter, the smallest and chubby one, would always have this pensive look to him.

Rocky Road, the mohawk beak scare, just blinks only to then consume that disgusting fish.

Kumquat, the skinnier and tallest, stared back, almost as if he's trying to study her back,

And Strawberry Shortcake, the fat flatheaded one, the first to provide her a suspicious glare.

...Yes these are nicknames she has mentally given them.

They didn’t go by any names and she wasn’t calling them by numbers.

So she named them after ice creams…

Don’t judge her.

The variety of human emotion shown on their faces was enough to constantly make Bridget give them a bemused glance before she looked away with a bitten lip.

They weren't difficult to handle...but they're definitely abnormal behavior-wise.

But compared to the loud morning headaches known as the lemurs or any other animal at the zoo, their company to her isn’t much of an annoyance.

“_Before penguins molt, their plumage looks dull and almost brown. All feathers need to be replaced every year, having been worn out by the sun, sea salt, and other environmental factors. Once the penguins have undergone their annual molt, their plumage is soft and shiny, and the brand new feathers are deep grey or black. Only some penguin species sport yellow feathers on their heads and chests, but-_”

A flicker of sunlight hits the rims of Bridget's glasses, prompting her to lose her focus as her eyes squint with a grunt. Her fingers rub the assaulted eyes while her glasses slide down to the tip of her nose, and once done, blinks to look around her surroundings.

To her wonderment, she apprehends that the once mid-morning sunshine she had commenced reading at now is a late-afternoon sky, the sun at the inception of resting.

She didn't even notice the change in her environment until that moment. Gazing down at her silver watch, it was almost quitting time. The woman straightens her back as her hand rubs her neck, sluggishly stretching with a yawn.

For only reading about birds, that took a lot out of her.

While she grabs for the bag beside her to start packing up her things, Bridget's train of thought wonders if tonight she'll focus on unboxing the last of her stuff at the apartment. As well as her need to figure out what to eat, and prepping up for tomorrow's shift. Her mind trails off as she stands up, unintentionally leaving her bag on the bench, as she heads for the locker rooms.

It wasn’t until after she ran into more awkward unfriendly staring by other colleagues and waited until the locker room was empty to change, that she remembered about her left behind the bag.

Of course, of course, she did.

Definitely not the smartest choice to leave all your belongings out in an area where anyone can just steal it.

“God damnit” a low groan comes from her, as she finishes off changing her clothes to her usual grey sweatpants and tank top attire.

The freckled human walks outside with a pace to her step, her tired black eyes searching around for the bench she left her backpack at. She knew the bench wasn’t far from the penguin habitat, so hopefully, no one has stolen it ye-

A delighted squawk was heard from the bench.

Bridget’s attention drew over to the sound, and her eyes widen.

On the bench of where her bag sits....stood a penguin.

A gleeful expressed, lanky and lean penguin, who it seems has rifled through her bag and now holds her glasses in his flippers.

Bridget stops right then and there and just...stares. There was Kumquat...the tallest penguin, holding her glasses and looking at them with such fascinated merriment. The fuc-

She could try to scare him off, but that wouldn’t be wise considering well, he’s just a singular bird. It’s not really worth getting angry about. Although trying to get close to him, would that frighten him away? And would he drop her glasses or still be holding them? Ugh, so many outcomes to think on. What to do, what to do.

After a moment of apparently observing his own feathers with the glasses, Kumquat folds them up and looks like he's about to waddle off with them in his possession.

_’He’s walkin away with them now!’_ She thought in panic before she bites her lip and gains the voice to speak up now. No way this little shit is taking her stuff now.

“H-hey! Put that down!”

She said in a somewhat scornful tone, but at the same time, she tried to keep it as soft and quiet as possible.

The penguin jumps then freeze in place and look over at her with a wide-eyed expression of someone who knows he's just been busted.

Bridget just glances down at Kumquat. She didn’t know what to do next? He stopped, does she walk towards him? Does she ask him to-

She mentally shakes her head.

_’Stop, c’mon now, this is a bird, an animal. It’s not a human, you’re supposed to boss it around.’_

Inhaling, she points at the penguin.

“Yeah, you. I see ya now. Whatcha doin with me glasses there?”

Kumquat is quiet and still for a moment before holding the glasses up to his face again with an innocent squawk.

Blinking, she raises an eyebrow at the tuxedo dressed bird, giving him also a weird look. She couldn’t help though but to think it was a little cute, amusing almost. This little guy seems to like her glasses, enjoy it to where he wants to take them.

But of course, without her glasses, she can’t read or look at small things, and that’ll be difficult to get around.

_’Sorry Kumquat, but I need those back’_

“Ya look cute, but c’mon now, I need them, please?”

She then bends down to his level and motions her hands at him to hand over her speckles.

The penguin appears to ponder this for a moment before nodding and holding them out to her.

A look was given. She may not know these birds well, but she’ll admit it. Strange they are...but perhaps they’re not as dumb as she assumed at first? At least, not this one. Perhaps they have some intelligence? Enough to understand people at least?...

Shaking her head at the thought. Less questioning the mind of animals and more getting her glasses back.

She then nods at the bird, before reaching out to grab it...but in a moment of hesitation...she looks at him.

Kumquat stares at her, taking a step closer, still holding the glasses out towards her. He bears a confused expression.

Her black eyes for a moment go soft...before she glances back at the glasses and finally takes them from his flippers. She carefully examines her speckles, and then back it goes on the penguin.

And at that moment, she slightly sighs, as she reopens the arms and turns it around, before gently placing them on the penguin’s face, more correctly this time. She then gives him a causal expressionless look, raising her eyebrow at him.

“There, ya likin the view?”

This only leads to an even more puzzled expression on the bird's face. He utters a very soft squawk as he looks at her still.

Reading this penguin’s very animated face, she only gives him a look back.

“What? Ya wanna wear me glasses? Wear them. Just give it back when you’re done, alright?” she said in a slight gruff tone, biting her lips as she darts her eyes away.

She’s talking to a bird now in a public area, grreeaaattt. Hope no one is watching, let alone thinking she’s weird. She’s already got a bad reputation here at the zoo, no good thanks to Ciara. 

_’Please don’t tell me I’m crazy, and that this bird can understand me,’_

Kumquat simply takes the glasses off, looks at them, turns them around, and then tries to reach up towards her with them as though to put the glasses on her face.

Bridget was about to reject and restate her intentions, with a glance of the watch, she realized it was time to go. She huffs and looks at the penguin.

_’Times up, sorry Lil guy, but I gotta go. Maybe next time when ya steal my shit I’ll let ya wear it again,’_

She takes back the glasses and puts them on her face like how Kumquat suggested. She gives him a curious look.

For such a small animal, he seemed so inquiring and sensible. Weirdly more so than what people claim with their dogs or cats.

Maybe...maybe Alice is on to something?

The penguin nods turns away, and waddles back to his habitat on his own, hopping up and over the little brick wall.

And then it hit Bridget. Lil shit was out of his habitat and she did NOTHING.

She takes off her glasses before facepalming. So much for being a zookeeper. For her only job is to feed and make sure they don’t leave their exhibits...well she certainly failed one category.

“Fuckin...damnit,” she groans, looking up where the penguin left. Does he seem to be heading back to his iceberg? She’ll have to check.

She quickly grabs her back, puts away her glasses, and zips up, before heading over near the penguins’ habitat.

Sure enough, Kumquat was back in the habitat with the others, just standing on the ice flow.

A slight sigh of relief came out of her, bites her lips before rubbing a hand through her face.

He’s there, she’s not in trouble. Everything is good.

She did ponder for a moment about the penguins. If they were intelligent then clearly they need more than just a bowl of fish for a toy? Wouldn’t they be bored with the same ‘ol smiling and waving routine? She...could do more, right?... Maybe...maybe...

...Well, why should she care? They’re just birds, maybe slightly aware ones but, they don’t seem to really mind? Besides, she just needs to make sure they’re not dead, it’s not her problem if they’re bored or not.

_’Stop thinkin about those birds, they’ll be fine. Just get back to the apartment’_

She peeks over at the entrance and exit of the zoo, she can hear it calling her name.

Time to get-

“Hey, sissy-wissy~”

The ginger jumps and quickly turns around, only to be met with an annoying and low growl.

_’Jesus, not now, why now!’_

“What do ya want?” Bridget’s black eyes narrow slightly.

"Aww, what? I thought ya would be happy to see me~" the teen pouts, fluttering her big eyes.

The ginger could only squint before Ciara continued.

"Anywho just wanted to say that Alice isn't going to be here tomorrow. She got sick and she put ME in charge" says the young teen, giving a knowing grin at the smaller woman.

"That means you have to do what I say, and when I say it~"

The older ginger gives her a look before rolling her eyes.

"Wow, gee, that makes sense. I'm SURE she really put YOU in charge," an eyebrow was raised at her.

Bridget may not be fond of the usually grumpy and lazy zookeeper, but she knew that woman wouldn't trust someone like Ciara.

Even if she was sick.

This of course only made the teen laugh. "Well, how could she not? I'm clearly the better and more likable one here. I do things like wearing my hat and don't argue with her. Of course, she'll put ME in charge," A big candy-eye smile plasters over her face. Then the teen then fixes her hair and looks down at her nails.

"Besides, you're doing nothing but watching and feeding those non-flying zebras. I'm sure you would like to do some of my chores, instead of sitting on a bench being sad that you can't play with them because of their wings being deformed,"

Bridget blinks.

"...K, one, Ciara, they're penguins. They don't fuckin fly, they SWIM. That's somethin a ZOOKEEPER should know," the ginger began, giving her sister a frustrated expression.

"Two, I will not do your chores, 'boss' or not, it's YOUR job to do your shit. Three, I will not wear that god damn hat, it's disgustin. The day I wear that thing is the day I stick a feather in my head and call it macaroni,

And finally, you're the boss tomorrow? Great. I don't care. See ya later and have a good fuckin night," and like that, Bridget waves a hand turns around and walks away, heading straight for the exit of the zoo.

Ciara's expression went from a light smug to sudden animosity. Her teeth bared at the smaller-sized sibling, knowing full well she had lost that argument.

Her feeling of hatred however died when an idea pops into her head...and smiles inhumanly.

“Where’s your bachelor’s degree?” Ciara sneers out to her.

“Bet if you had that doctors degree by now maybe ya would've learned how to fix that leg of yours”

That did it. She stopped right in her tracks.

Bridget’s head snaps back around at the strawberry hair teen, her eyes glaring at her with intense anger. Walking straight back to the teen, the smaller ginger barks.

“At least I tried to get a bachelor's degree and did so on my own. Without havin to mooch off of others as a way to get what they want in life. I ran outta money, but I’ve worked hard to get where I am,”

Bridget's eyes then narrow back at her.

“Where’s your high school diploma, Ciara?”

It was that moment when Bridget felt her wrist get grabbed, as suddenly Ciara took action and yanks the watch off her arm. Bridget tries to act too, but is only pushed down to the ground, the strawberry hair teen taking a step back from her crime scene.

Oh no. No she fucking just didn't

"Ciara! What the fuc-give it back!"

"Or what?" The freckled girl watches her sliver watch be swung around by the careless teen. Bridget gets up from the ground, getting right in Ciara's face. Her fist getting close to attacking.

"Ciara. Back. NOW"

The teen didn't seem phased from it. She only grins. "Oh please, what? You'll hit me?" Her eyes narrow with a sadistic look to them. She then whispers,

"I'm sure everyone would LOVE to see how right I am. That you truly are a monster..."

Black eyes stare intensely in rage at her...but slowly soften.

_‘This isn’t worth fighting for...just stand down. Stop before your temper gets the better of ya...and ya make things worse…’_

Bridget's hand unclenches...and she steps back, huffing but never letting her gaze off of her.

Ciara’s smile widens. "Oh don't worry sissy, you'll get back your precious watch back soon. It'll be safe in my locker, all nice and warm. Maybe after you tell everyone how mean you are to me and how you'll be doing all my chores" a laugh came out of her, sneering away like the little shit she was.

Bridget just coldly watches her, biting her lips.

"Welp, it was SO nice talking to you, little sister. We should bond like this more often." And with booping Bridget's nose, the teen skips away with her watch, a dark smirk never leaving her face.

"...I'm older than ya by years, dipshit" grumbles under the freckled face human, darting her eyes down out of frustration.

Anger. That's all Bridget could feel. Defeat, even hatred.

She couldn't just let Ciara get away with this, no fucking way she'll let this slide.

Ciara could’ve stolen anything from her...but she chose the one thing that’s special to her…

She had to get her watch back...one way or another. But how?

Bridget thought for a moment...before her attention drew once again at the penguins.

And the fact that they were staring at her. Again.

Each one had an expression of concern or curiosity, maybe even pity.

However, due to what has occurred, instead of her looking away, she only scoffs.

"Whadda lookin at? Ever thought of starin bein rude?" a look was given towards them before rolling her eyes and finally, exiting the zoo.

From a distance, Ciara kept playing which the watch, satisfied with her choices.

Amongst her friends who she just joined, one peeps up.

“Uh, Ciara. Don’t you think you were a bit hard on her? I don’t think she deserved that”

Turning towards her trusted co-worker, the strawberry hair teen plays victim.

“After everything she’s done to me back home, I think what I did was justifiable. She’s tough anyways, it’s not like I hurt her”

Another friend perks up. “...She looked really upset when you took her watch...maybe you should give it back before she tells Alice,”

With a groan, Ciara turns towards her group with an eye roll. “Girls, pl-ease. We’re just playing around. She’ll get her watch back tomorrow and I get to relax the entire day with no work to do,” she smugly flips her hair. She then looks at the watch with a scoff.

“Besides, if she wants it so bad, she’s just going to have to wait like a good girl. I mean what’s she going to do about it? Sneak into the zoo in the middle of the night just to get it back?”


End file.
